Wednesday, March 21, 2012

F-16 or an A-10 crashes in South Korea - clear as mud.

FOX NEWS GUNSAN, South Korea - A US military F-16 jet crashed in southern South Korea on Wednesday during a training mission but its pilot ejected to safety, US authorities said.

The plane crashed into a rice paddy around noon local time near a US air base in the western port city of Gunsan, the US military said in a statement."The [lone] pilot safely ejected before the plane crashed. Emergency response teams are on scene at this time," it said.

There were no casualties or serious damage on the ground, a US Air Force spokesman said, adding details would be released later.

A local fire station officer in Seocheon county near Gunsan said previously the pilot was injured and taken away by ambulance. The officer had identified the aircraft involved as an A-10 tank buster.

The crash came as South Korean and US troops stage an annual joint military exercise, called Foal Eagle, from March 1 to April 30. It was unclear if the F-16 was involved in the drill.